Desperate Attempt
Korean Air has recently started selling tickets for flights to Jeju Island at discounted prices on social commerce sites including Ticket Monster, WeMakePrice, and Coupang. Until now, the company had been selling air tickets on social commerce companies in small quantities, but it is the first time for Korean Air to supply bargain tickets in bulk.
According to the social commerce industry on Feb. 3, Korean Air has been selling one-way tickets from Seoul to Jeju at 30,000 won (US$27.29) on social commerce sites, starting from the end of last month.
The deal has been receiving favorable responses from consumers, who have bought a total of 20,000 tickets from Ticket Monster, and 10,000 tickets each from Coupang and WeMakePrice.
Considering the fact that Korean Air has been reluctant to supply tickets on social commerce companies until now, the social commerce industry and tourism industry think that the bargain tickets in bulk are the company’s measure to win back passengers after the “nut rage” incident.
According to data from Incheon International Airport and the Korea Airports Corporation, Korean Air's domestic passengers fell 6.6. percent in December year-on-year. The figure for competitor Asiana Airlines, however, grew by 13.2 percent.